Traffic Calming Measures

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has commissioned on the impact on local residents' journey times of traffic calming measures to eliminate rat-runs, with particular reference to road closures.

Karen Buck: As part of the Urban Safety Project, the Department for Transport commissioned research into the impact of area wide traffic calming schemes, some of which involved partial or total road closures; this included research into the effect on journey times. The results of this research are reported in TRRL Research Report 263 "Urban Safety Project: 3. Overall evaluation of area wide schemes", published in 1990. This report concluded that, in general, increased delays had not been a major penalty in the schemes.
	Decisions regarding the implementation of traffic calming measures are for local highway authorities, in consultation with local communities. Deliberations will usually involve a wide range of safety, environment, and traffic management considerations.

Trade Justice

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take steps to move the focus of international development from free trade to trade justice.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government are committed to the development of an open and rules-based international trading system that fulfils its potential to contribute to the reduction of poverty in poorer countries. Our key policy commitments on trade and development, as well as our objectives for the current Round of multilateral trade talks, are set out in the Government's White Papers, "Making Globalisation a Force for Good" (July 2004) and "Eliminating World Poverty: Making Globalisation Work for the Poor" (December 2000). The UK Government are working hard to support the poorest and most vulnerable producers, be it through multilateral negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) or regional trade agreements such as the Economic Partnership Agreements.
	The UK Government do not support forced liberalisation or unfettered free trade. The UK Government fully supports the view that developing countries should be allowed to develop their own trade policies. At the G8 summit this principle was endorsed by others who agreed that within the WTO negotiations
	"flexibility will help least developed countries to decide, plan and sequence their overall economic reforms in line with their country led development programmes and international obligations."
	In the long-term the removal of trade barriers, if managed properly, can help developing countries can gain better access to developed country markets and more competitively priced inputs. However, the agenda is broad. We must not only reduce barriers to trade such as subsidies and import tariffs but also invest in developing countries capacities to trade. To do this we are providing additional development assistance to poor countries to help them undertake this investment and give them the time and space to adjust to trade reforms.
	The G8 also agreed to provide increased funds for trade related capacity building to assist developing countries take advantage of the new opportunities from a positive conclusion to the Round. There is increased international support for increased 'Aid for Trade' as reflected at the recent World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings and the G8 summit in Gleneagles. It is important that we build rapidly on the outcome of these meetings.
	We now have less than five weeks to go before Hong Kong and are working with international partners to deliver on the ambition of Doha and build on G8 commitments. The UK Government are working to achieve an outcome that delivers real gains for developing countries, including the poorest. These gains should include improved participation by developing countries in the world trading system, through substantially increased market access for developing countries and the dismantling of trade-distorting agricultural subsidies by industrialised countries.

Carers Allowance

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will reform the policy whereby widows under retirement age, unable to work because of carer's responsibilities and in receipt of a husband's pension, are not eligible for carers' allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: It is a fundamental principle of the social security system that only one benefit at a time can be paid for income maintenance. Carer's allowance provides a measure of financial support to those who give up the opportunity of full-time paid employment to care for a severely disabled person. As such it is not an "extra-costs" benefit. To pay both benefits in full therefore would duplicate provision for the same need.
	Where carer's allowance is overlapped in full, the person maintains an underlying entitlement to the benefit which, in turn, gives them access to the carer premium in the income-related benefits such as income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	There are no plans to change this policy.

Incapacity Benefit

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants there were in (a) Oxfordshire and (b) Wantage constituency in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2005.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the following table.
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants in Oxfordshire and the Wantage parliamentary constituency.
		
			  May 1997 May 2005 
		
		
			 Oxfordshire 12,700 14,700 
			 Wantage parliamentary constituency 1,900 2,100 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	2. 1997 Figures have been produced using the 5 per cent. proportions against WPLS totals.
	3. "Claimant" figures include all IB and SDA (including IB credits only cases).
	4. "Oxfordshire" includes the following local authorities: Cherwell, Oxford, South Oxfordshire, West Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Sexual Offenders

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding sentencing of sexual offenders.

Paul Goggins: The Sexual Offences Act 2003 overhauled the law regarding sex offences. The Act followed a fundamental review of the legislation and a major public consultation. The consultation document, "Setting the Boundaries", made a wide range of recommendations that were considered carefully in the light of over 700 responses received during the public consultation period. I also receive correspondence from Members of Parliament and the public regarding the sentencing of sexual offenders in relation to specific cases.

Ethiopia

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Ethiopia regarding the recent political unrest there.

Ian Pearson: We are gravely concerned about the outbreak of violence in Ethiopia since 1 November which has resulted in a number of deaths and injuries and a large number of detentions, including of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy leadership and civil society and media leaders.
	On 6 November, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn) spoke to Prime Minister Meles. This followed action by my noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa (Lord Triesman of Tottenham), who summoned the Ethiopian Chargé d'Affaires on 1 November to register our concerns. Our ambassador in Ethiopia has also raised our concerns with both Prime Minister Meles and with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister.
	In our capacity as presidency of the European Union, our ambassador to Ethiopia held a press conference in Addis Ababa with the United States ambassador on 6 November, where we called for the Government to restore peace and confidence in the democracy building process by ensuring due process of law and respect for human rights.

European Union (Opt-outs)

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many opt-outs the Government have given up at EU level since May 1997; and if he will list them.

Douglas Alexander: Since May 1997, the Government have only removed the UK "opt-out" to the agreement on social policy. This was annexed by the treaty of Maastricht to the treaty establishing the European Community as part of the Protocol on Social Policy. The agreement was fully incorporated into the treaty establishing the European Community by the treaty of Amsterdam which came into force on 1 May 1999. The provisions on social policy as they stand today can be found in part 3, title XI of the treaty establishing the European Community.

Indonesia

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the treatment of Christians in Indonesia, with particular reference to the case of three Christian women who have each been jailed for three years for giving Christian teaching to Muslim children with their parents' consent.

Ian Pearson: We are aware of the conviction of Dr. Rebekka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti and Ratna Bangun and the closure of some churches in Indonesia.
	In September this year, President Yudhoyono stressed that the state guaranteed every citizen religious freedom and called on the police and members of the public to act to prevent violence against any faith. We co-sponsored with the Indonesian Government in Bali in July, an international conference to promote inter-faith understanding and harmony. We will continue to co-operate with them on this important objective. Immediately after the recent beheadings of three Christian school girls in Central Sulawesi, President Yudhoyono condemned what he described as a "sadistic crime", and sent extra police to the area to ensure that violence did not flare up. The British ambassador in Jakarta has discussed the issue with senior Indonesian officials and expressed the UK's shock at the incident.

Ministerial Travel

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the additional cost of (a) his and (b) his officials' early return from Moscow to permit him to vote in the proceedings in the Terrorism Bill.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 14 November 2005
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Moscow on 8 and 9 November for the EU-Russia Foreign Ministers' Troika. He attended this meeting as planned. The talks were constructive, continuing the positive dialogue from October's EU-Russia Summit.
	The Chinese President's State Visit took place on 8–9 November. Immediately before leaving for Moscow, the Foreign Secretary met Li Zhaoxing, the Chinese Foreign Minister, in London. The Foreign Secretary had planned to travel directly to Iraq from Moscow, and then to Bahrain for the annual G8 and Broader Middle East and North Africa "Forum for the Future" meetings on 11 and 12 November.
	It would not have been possible to complete this schedule using commercial flights. We therefore chartered an aircraft. The total cost of the charter was £98,400, which included an additional £30,200 for diverting through the UK on 9 November. This also covered the travel costs of the staff accompanying the Foreign Secretary to Moscow, comprising six officials, plus one Special Adviser and one Special Branch Protection Officer.
	Paragraph 10.11 of the Ministerial Code states:
	"if a Minister is abroad with permission and is called home for Ministerial Parliamentary reasons, including to vote, the cost of the extra journey back and forth may be met by public funds".

Green Belt

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how much land changing to residential use was within (a) the designated green belt and (b) greenfield land, in each year since 1997, broken down by region;
	(2)  how much land within the 1997 designated green belt changed to developed use in each year since 1997, broken down by region;
	(3)  how many new dwellings have been built within the 1997 designated green belt in each year since 1997, broken down by region.

Yvette Cooper: The available estimates are from Land Use Change Statistics, shown in the following tables. The estimates for 2003 are provisional and are subject to revision. Figures are not shown for 1999 as the data received for that year were incomplete. Figures for 1997 to 2000 reflect planning policies and decisions made before 1997.
	
		Land changing to residential use within 1997 designated green belt (PQ 0484 05/06)
		
			 Hectares 
			  (a) All on designated green belt 
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 North East 3 3 1 2 7 1 0 2 3 
			 North West 51 46 39 60 59 64 43 49 53 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 25 27 21 40 42 28 41 50 46 
			 East Midlands 9 10 13 10 7 20 17 6 9 
			 West Midlands 24 27 29 33 31 38 31 56 35 
			   
			 East of England 40 50 41 37 49 58 68 36 46 
			 London 4 5 6 9 17 16 10 23 15 
			 South East 62 52 49 67 54 75 64 52 55 
			 South West 9 14 8 10 16 14 13 9 9 
			   
			 England 226 234 207 267 281 313 288 283 272 
			   
			 Proportion of all green belt (percentage) 0.014 0.014 0.013 0.016 0.017 0.019 0.017 0.017 0.016 
		
	
	
		
			 Hectares 
			  (b) On greenfield land (not previously developed) 
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 North East 2 2 1 2 7 1 0 1 2 
			 North West 26 17 27 36 29 23 17 20 25 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 18 17 15 24 25 21 20 25 22 
			 East Midlands 6 6 4 4 4 6 12 3 6 
			 West Midlands 15 15 19 14 17 22 17 24 14 
			   
			 East of England 11 14 12 10 10 22 13 13 20 
			 London 1 2 0 0 7 6 3 8 4 
			 South East 18 10 12 28 19 28 14 17 13 
			 South West 3 9 4 6 10 7 4 5 2 
			   
			 England 101 93 94 123 127 135 99 115 109 
			   
			 Proportion of all green belt (percentage) 0.006 0.006 0.006 0.007 0.008 0.008 0.006 0.007 0.007 
		
	
	
		New dwellings within 1997 designated green belt (PQ 0486 05/06)
		
			 Hectares 
			  (c) All on designated green belt 
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 North East 52 23 22 50 140 19 11 27 70 
			 North West 879 771 730 1,284 1,049 1,350 799 1,019 1,565 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 373 423 316 630 673 508 891 939 815 
			 East Midlands 143 125 181 194 143 297 289 117 120 
			 West Midlands 390 533 474 610 507 731 817 879 653 
			   
			 East of England 552 580 499 479 846 956 1,181 485 795 
			 London 89 153 171 182 441 384 218 405 287 
			 South East 653 733 553 868 802 1,175 950 734 1,053 
			 South West 124 211 109 159 309 271 243 199 163 
			 England 3,255 3,552 3,055 4,456 4,910 5,691 5,399 4,804 5,521 
			   
			 Proportion of all new dwellings (percentage) 2 3 2 3 4 4 4 4 3 
		
	
	
		
			 Hectares 
			  (d) On greenfield land (not previously developed) 
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 North East 46 20 19 34 128 17 2 19 45 
			 North West 472 285 486 746 486 355 296 329 682 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 289 269 173 336 361 373 462 361 405 
			 East Midlands 93 77 67 93 77 39 148 39 65 
			 West Midlands 220 313 288 276 225 372 462 333 250 
			   
			 East of England 119 134 132 107 135 331 198 145 286 
			 London 56 67 6 3 238 131 72 127 79 
			 South East 172 117 147 301 218 278 134 194 322 
			 South West 53 135 46 93 195 90 32 76 34 
			   
			 England 1,520 1,417 1,364 1,989 2,063 1,986 1,806 1,623 2,168 
			   
			 Proportion of all new dwellings (percentage) 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 
		
	
	
		Land changing to developed use within 1997 designated green belt (PQ 0485 and 1296)
		
			 Hectares 
			  (a) All on designated green belt 
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 North East 43 20 11 143 18 47 13 21 18 
			 North West 331 329 367 488 401 223 367 142 222 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 253 283 182 481 437 164 131 286 285 
			 East Midlands 65 132 197 97 93 92 102 28 128 
			 West Midlands 173 210 286 130 125 328 155 129 335 
			   
			 East of England 172 183 159 196 238 273 319 169 339 
			 London 19 28 44 95 64 37 125 36 64 
			 South East 228 244 482 395 218 554 309 143 151 
			 South West 48 145 207 58 85 132 75 35 29 
			   
			 England 1,332 1,573 1,935 2,084 1,678 1,850 1,596 988 1,570 
			   
			 Proportion of all green belt (percentage) 0.08 0.10 0.12 0.13 0.10 0.11 0.10 0.06 0.10 
		
	
	
		
			 Hectares 
			  (b) On greenfield land (not previously developed) 
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 North East 14 15 7 109 8 45 6 16 10 
			 North West 197 150 243 315 262 101 237 53 59 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 152 102 75 274 282 60 52 124 133 
			 East Midlands 46 60 160 61 74 70 58 13 60 
			 West Midlands 101 76 143 69 62 67 35 52 266 
			   
			 East of England 83 84 87 150 71 65 90 100 120 
			 London 12 14 19 48 25 14 42 10 31 
			 South East 112 103 104 204 69 389 90 40 57 
			 South West 28 92 160 42 53 91 45 14 8 
			   
			 England 746 696 999 1,273 904 902 656 421 744 
			   
			 Proportion of all green belt (percentage) 0.05 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.03 0.05

Connexions

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual budget of Connexions has been in each year that it has been running; and what the budget of the pre-Connexions career service was in each year between 1992 and its replacement.

Maria Eagle: The budgets for Connexions and the careers service for each year since 1994–95 are as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			  Careers service budget Connexions budget 
		
		
			 1994–95 176 — 
			 1995–96 194 — 
			 1996–97 201 — 
			 1997–98 206 — 
			 1998–99 214 — 
			 1999–2000 227 — 
			 2000–01 236 — 
			 2001–02 173 151 
			 2002–03 52 378 
			 2003–04 — 455 
			 2004–05 — 470 
			 2005–06 — 475 
		
	
	Connexions was introduced from April 2001 and replaced the careers service in April 2003. We do not hold information for the years prior to 1994–95.

Graduation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students who gained university places through clearing went on to graduate between 2001 and 2005.

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of those who accepted university places through clearing dropped out in the last period for which figures are available; and what assessment she has made of the reasons for doing so.

Bill Rammell: The Department does not systematically collect information on the reasons for non-completion. The Department has, however, commissioned the Institute of Employment Research to investigate a sample of early leavers from between 1996/97 and 1998/99. It found that those entering through Clearing had a higher-than-average non-completion rate, and that the most commonly-cited reason was "a mistaken choice of course".
	Source:
	Davies, R and Elias, P. (2003) "Dropping out: a study of early levers from higher education," DfES Research Report 386.

Teachers

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department has taken to persuade teachers who have left the profession to return.

Jacqui Smith: The Training and Development Agency for schools (TDA) commissions returners' courses to refresh and update returners' knowledge and skills. The TDA has funded over 300 courses between 2002 and 2005, with more than 6,000 places offered. Courses cover all aspects of the curriculum, assessment, classroom management, inclusion etc. as well a school placement to give participants a refresher of school life and to boost confidence. Every participant on a TDA-funded returners course is eligible for a training bursary of up to £150 per week (to a maximum of £1,500 for the duration of the course) and child care support.
	The advice and guidance service Returning to Teach holds details of almost 17,000 former teachers. When a person registers, they are sent a pack with information about courses, useful contact details and termly copies of "return to teaching" magazines.
	We have introduced a number of reforms to reduce teachers' work loads and to tackle the issues that concern them in the classroom, such as pupil behaviour. Teachers returning to the classroom will also benefit from improved pay.

"Health Outside Hospitals"

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the tender for the contract to run the consultation on the "Health Outside Hospitals" White Paper was published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Liam Byrne: No tender notice was placed in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) regarding the "Your Health, Your Care, Your Say" listening exercise because it was not required. The contract was awarded on behalf of the Department by the Central Office of Information (COI) to a company with whom they hold a framework agreement. COI framework agreements are awarded in compliance with the EU directive, including the requirement to place a notice in the OJEU inviting applicants. Contracts can then be awarded to the holders of such framework agreements without the need to advertise them separately in the OJEU.
	In this instance, the contract was awarded following a competitive tender among a number of agencies with whom COI holds framework agreements.

Cancer

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to develop wards specifically for young cancer patients.

Rosie Winterton: In October 2004, we published the national service framework for children, young people which recommended the importance of providing children and young people with access to high quality, age appropriate services whatever the setting.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published in August 2005 guidance on "Improving Outcomes in Children and Young People with Cancer". This guidance addresses access to age appropriate facilities and places of care. The National Cancer Director has established an advisory group of major stakeholders to facilitate the implementation of the guidance, but ultimately it will be for local commissioners, via their cancer networks and local service providers, to ensure that the services they provide meet the recommendations in this guidance.

Carbon Monoxide

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (b) Ofgem, (c) the Health and Safety Commission and (d) CORGI with regards to the proposal from the Health and Safety Commission for a levy on the gas industry to fund a watchdog to promote carbon monoxide awareness; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Officials in the Department are in regular contact with officials in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). These contacts ensure that there is a shared understanding of the effects of carbon monoxide on health. Strategies for reducing cases of accidental poisoning are discussed regularly. The Chief Medical Officer often draws attention to the dangers of exposure to carbon monoxide in his CMO update letter to doctors. A leaflet, for distribution to all General Practices will be distributed in November. The leaflet has been endorsed by HSE, The Solid Fuel Association, CORGI, CO-Gas Safety and the Heating Equipment Testing and Approval Scheme. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister assisted in the drafting of the leaflet. The leaflet is entitled "Carbon Monoxide: Risks to health and how to avoid them".
	The combined emphasis on prevention of poisoning and recognition of poisoning reflects the cross-department approach to this important problem. The Department has not discussed the proposal for a levy on the gas industry to fund a watchdog to promote carbon monoxide awareness; this is a matter for the HSE.

Cochlear Implants

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many (a) children and (b) adults are awaiting cochlear implants in each region of England; what projections have been made for the number of cochlear implant treatments over the next five years; what resources have been allocated to this; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what guidance has been given to primary care trusts in relation to the allocation of resources for cochlear implantation treatment;
	(3)  how many (a) children and (b) adults were provided with cochlear implants in each region of England in the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Information on the numbers of people waiting for cochlear implants and the projected demand is not held centrally. It is for primary care trusts to determine the allocation of resources for their local population based on local need.
	The number of children and adults who were provided with cochlear implants in each region of England is shown in the table.
	
		All Operations Count of Episodes (OPCS4 D24.1, D24.2) Implantation of intra/extra cochlear prosthesisNHS Hospitals, England 1999–2000 to 2003–04
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
			 Region of Treatment Children (Aged up to 17) Adults (Aged 18 and over) Children (Aged up to 17) Adults (Aged 18 and over) Children (Aged up to 17) Adults (Aged 18 and over) Children (Aged up to 17) Adults (Aged 18 and over) Children (Aged up to 17) Adults (Aged 18 and over) 
		
		
			 Northern and Yorkshire Regional 29 17 31 22 22 33 20 39 35 21 
			 Trent Regional Office 39 9 41 10 42 10 41 13 43 11 
			 West Midlands Regional Office 21 24 17 20 19 28 18 27 23 25 
			 North West Regional Office 24 18 24 24 31 33 44 26 45 18 
			 Eastern Regional Office 9 14 18 22 18 11 15 14 20 35 
			 London Regional Office 39 33 42 42 36 41 44 47 54 60 
			 South East Regional Office 16 11 18 21 26 17 22 11 24 19 
			 South West Regional Office 6 16 8 10 10 13 10 11 8 20 
		
	
	Notes:
	All Operations count of Episodes.
	These figures represent a count of all FCE's where the procedure was mentioned in any of the 12 (4 prior to 2002–03) operation fields in a HES record.
	A record is only included once in each count, even if an operation is mentioned in more than one operation field of the record.
	Finished Consultant Episode (FCE).
	An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year
	Main Operation
	The main operation is the first recorded operation in the HES data set and is usually the most resource intensive procedure performed during the episode.
	It is appropriate to use main operation when looking at admission details, eg. time waited, but the figures for "all operations count of episodes" give a more complete count of episodes with an operation.
	Secondary Procedure
	As well as the main operative procedure, there are up to 11 (3 prior to 2002–03) secondary operation fields in Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) that show secondary or additional procedures performed on the patient during the episode of care
	Ungrossed Data
	Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed)
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Influenza

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what circumstances persons under the age of 65 years are given influenza vaccinations; whether they are available to anyone under the age of 65 years who requests them; what obligations general practitioners' surgeries are under to administer such vaccinations; and what information and guidance has been disseminated by her Department to surgeries in this respect.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 8 November 2005
	Influenza vaccine is available for anyone aged over six months in one of the following risk categories:
	Chronic respiratory disease, including asthma
	Chronic heart disease
	Chromic renal disease
	Chronic liver disease
	Diabetes
	Immunosuppression
	Details of this year's influenza immunisation programme were issued to general practitioners on 25 July.
	The final decision as to who should be offered flu immunisation is a matter for the patients general practitioner but should take into account the risk of influenza infection exacerbating the underlying disease as well as the risk of serious illness from influenza.
	Under the new general practitioner (GP) contract introduced in 2004, influenza vaccination became a directed enhanced service (DES). Primary care trusts commission GPs to carry out flu immunisations under the DES.

Meals on Wheels (Leeds)

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meals on wheels were distributed in Leeds North West in each year since 1997; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Fair Access to Social Care Initiative.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 7 November 2005
	This information is not centrally available. Views on the fair access to social care initiative were sought specifically as part of the Green Paper, "Independence, Well-being and Choice". These views are being considered as we take this forward as part of the development of the White Paper.

Psychiatric Hospitals

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the security of psychiatric hospitals in England; and what steps she is taking to improve the security of such hospitals.

Rosie Winterton: The Department commissioned a security review at the three high security hospitals (Broadmoor, Ashworth and Rampton) in 2000, which recommended improved security measures to the perimeter and internal security of the hospitals. The Government accepted that all of the review report's recommendations should be implemented.
	These hospitals must also comply with safety and security directions given to the hospitals by the Department, which encompass various security requirements and cover issues such as the searching of patients and their rooms, the circumstances in which patients should be permitted access to computers and the arrangements that should be made for the testing of patients for illicit substances.
	The high security hospitals are also subjected to annual prison service security audits. The prison service security audit team report that the audits show that security standards at the hospitals are essentially satisfactory and continue to improve.
	Guidance on the design of medium secure units is provided in the "Design Guide for Medium Secure Psychiatric Units" published by NHS Estates. This document is being reviewed and revised and will be re-issued by spring next year.
	Security of all units combines physical, operational and relational aspects, which consider building and engineering design, operational policies and staffing levels. Other measures to improve relational security included the joint interim guidance from the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) and the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) in February 2004 to support mental health service providers and enable them to review their current policies and procedures relating to education, training and practice in the safe and therapeutic management of aggression and violence.
	The NPSA is also engaged in the 'Safer Wards for Acute Psychiatry' initiative, a two-year evidence based project which aims to understand and address system issues that impact on patient safety on acute psychiatric in-patient settings. The project will be completed in March 2006.
	The NIMHE/NPSA joint guidance was followed in February 2005 by guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for the national health service on the management of disturbed or violent behaviour in psychiatric in-patient settings and emergency departments.

Renal Services

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is being taken by her Department to improve access to local renal services, with particular reference to dialysis.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has provided £60 million additional funding between 2000–01 and 2005–06 for capital investment to expand dialysis services. Survey data show the number of haemodialysis stations in England increased by more than a third between 1998 and 2002, from 1,890 to 2,582, with a further 378 planned at that point, the most recent for which complete data are available. Many of these are in satellite units, which can be sited to provide access to dialysis closer to home for renal patients with routine conditions: the number of satellite units rose from 73 in 1998 to 101 in 2002, with a further 34 planned.
	This supports "The National Service Framework for Renal Services, Part One", which the Department published in 2004, which set standards for dialysis services and identified their continued expansion as an early action for commissioners. The national surveys commissioned by the Department provide data to support the planning and commissioning of dialysis services.
	Many patients rely on hospital transport services to access the dialysis unit. The Department has funded two action learning sets to develop and test improvements to non-emergency patient transport services for dialysis patients, in urban and rural areas. These are due to report in January 2006.

Smoking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to help adults stop smoking.

Caroline Flint: Since 1998, the Government have put in place a comprehensive strategy to tackle smoking to reduce the deaths caused by smoking. The strategy focuses on action to discourage people from ever starting, and help for all smokers. We are aiming to create a climate where non-smoking is the norm.
	We have banned almost all tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion. Our highly effective national anti-smoking education campaign is reaching smokers and helping motivate them to quit. People who wish to give up smoking can get help from the national health service stop smoking services. We set out proposals to bring in new measures to improve the way the NHS helps smokers to give up in our White Paper "Choosing Health". We will reduce exposure to secondhand smoke through; the Health Bill introduced to Parliament on 27 October includes a ban on smoking in enclosed workplaces and public places that will cover 99 per cent. of the workforce. We will consult on introducing picture warnings onto tobacco packs. Together this strategy has helped reduce adult smoking rates in England from 28 per cent. in 1998 to 25 per cent. in 2003, around 1.2 million smokers.

Equality Commission

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Equality Commission has offered advice to local councils in Northern Ireland that (a) have undertaken and (b) are undertaking article 55 reviews of their work force.

Angela Smith: I understand that the chief executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, Ms Evelyn Collins, has written to the hon. Gentleman in the following terms:
	"The Equality Commission offers advice to all employers to ensure they are facilitated to comply with their duties under the Fair Employment & Treatment (NI) Order 1998. This includes ensuring local councils are provided with relevant advice to conduct their Article 55 Reviews."

Equality Commission

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria the Equality Commission in Northern Ireland uses in ascertaining whether employers have a work force whose religious make-up may require the use of the phrase 'we particularly welcome applications from . . . ' in recruitment advertising.

Angela Smith: I understand that the chief executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, Ms Evelyn Collins, has written to the hon. Gentleman in the following terms:
	"The Commission recommends that employers consider the use of equality statements in job advertisements particularly welcoming applications from the Protestant or Roman Catholic community where that group is under-represented in the workforce and also among applicants for employment."

Equality Commission

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications for assistance with complaints of discrimination in employment and non-employment have been received by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland in each year since its inception.

Angela Smith: I understand that the chief executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, Ms Evelyn Collins, has written to the hon. Gentleman in the following terms:
	"The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland considered the following applications for assistance with complaints of discrimination in employment and non employment in each year since its inception:
	1999–2000—548
	2000–01—651
	2001–02—861
	2002–03—623
	2003–04—121
	2004–05—417"

Religious Profiles

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the religious breakdown of staff employed in the Province within (a) the BBC, including Radio Ulster, (b) Citizens Advice Bureaux and (c) Ulster Television; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: I understand that the chief executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, Ms Evelyn Collins, has written to the hon. Lady in the following terms:
	"The following information is taken from the Commission's Monitoring Report No. 14 A Profile of the Northern Ireland Workforce, Summary of Monitoring returns 2003, published by the Commission in November 2004. The composition of the Citizen's Advice Bureaux is not published in this report as it employs fewer than 26 employees."
	
		
			  British Broadcasting Corporation  Ulster Television plc 
		
		
			 P 409 127 
			 RC 335 79 
			 ND 122 16 
			 Total 866 222 
			
			 Percentage P 55 61.7 
			 Percentage RC 45 38.3

Sports Council

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was given to the Sports Council for Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: The Sports Council for Northern Ireland has received exchequer and lottery funding in the last 10 years for the amounts shown in the following table:
	
		
			   £ million 
			  Exchequer Lottery 
		
		
			 1995–96 3.366 8.569 
			 1996–97 2.669 10.021 
			 1997–98 2,918 8.204 
			 1998–99 2.506 7.218 
			 1999–2000 2.406 7.585 
			 2000–01 4 423 7.585 
			 2001–02 3,536 8.254 
			 2002–03 5 276 7.300 
			 2003–04 7 096 5.858 
			 2004–05 5.937 7.514

Draft Employment Equality (Age) Regulations

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the draft Employment Equality (Age) Regulations on the provision of flexible retirement ages by private businesses;
	(2)  what advice his Department has provided to businesses about the operation of flexible retirement ages in relation to the draft Employment Equality (Age) Regulations.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 14 November 2005
	The draft Employment Equality (Age) Regulations introduce a new statutory right for employees to request working beyond their employers' compulsory retirement age, if there is one. Employers will have a duty to consider such requests seriously. The "Coming of Age" consultation document that we published on 14 July explained that:
	"The statutory request by the employee is to continue working under the same terms and conditions as had applied up to the retirement date. However, there is nothing to prevent the employee proposing, or the employer suggesting, a different working pattern that might suit them both better. Neither side will be obliged to accept proposals for change."
	We have asked ACAS to produce good practice guidance on the regulations, which will be published when the regulations have been approved by Parliament.
	We believe that the new "duty to consider" procedure will help ensure a constructive discussion about options for retirement that will help accelerate the necessary culture change.

Draft Employment Equality (Age) Regulations

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry under what circumstances an individual forced to retire over the age of 65 will be able to appeal on grounds of age discrimination under the draft Employment Equality (Age) Regulations.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 14 November 2005
	The dismissal of an employee at or over the age of 65 will not contravene the regulations if the reason for the dismissal is retirement.
	Employees will be able to appeal if they believe that the employer has not carried out the new "duty to consider" procedure correctly in connection with requests to work beyond a compulsory retirement age. Employees can also challenge a compulsory retirement they believe to be dismissal for some other reason. The consultation on the draft regulations closed on 17 October. We are considering what changes we need to make to the regulations in the light of those responses.

Office of Fair Trading

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff hours the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has devoted to its inquiry into fees at independent schools; how the schools being investigated were selected for inclusion in the inquiry; and what proportion of the OFT's staff has been involved in the inquiry.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is as follows:
	(i) The OFT informs me that it does not have figures that differentiate costs between cases pre-dating the launch of its dedicated time recording systems on 1 April 2004. The investigation into independent school fees commenced in June 2003. The figures available show that the hours worked by staff in the OFT's Competition Enforcement Division on the investigation since 1 April 2004 are approximately 5354. These figures are the direct costs recorded by staff in the OFT's Competition Enforcement Division and do not include time spent by specialists in the OFT's Legal Division or the OFT's economic advice team in its Markets and Policy Initiatives Division.
	(ii) The OFT's investigation concerns the exchange of confidential information amongst fee paying independent schools relating to their intended fee increases and fee levels. The OFT has focused its investigation on those schools involved in the survey known as the "Sevenoaks survey". Further information is contained in a press notice that was issued by the OFT on 9 November 2005 which is available on the OFT website:
	www.oft.gov.uk/News/Press==releases/2005/214
	(iii) Save at the very outset, when the investigation was led by a single Principal Investigation Officer, the investigation has at any one time been led by two Principal Case Officers with support, as required, from other staff within the OFT's Competition Directorate Enforcement Division and from the OFT's Legal Division and the economic advice team in its Markets and Policy Initiatives Division. The case has also had up to three paralegal temporary staff employed at any one time to assist with the organisation of the 13,000 plus documents on the OFT's file, to which the parties have a right of access and from which confidential information must be redacted.
	The level of resources dedicated to the case is in proportion to the staff resources the OFT's Competition Enforcement Division dedicates to dealing with cases of this size under the Competition Act 1998. The Division has 156 dedicated staff, including 66 Principal Case Officers.

Research and Development

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the performance of companies which rely heavily on investment in research and development in the last four years; and if he will make a statement.

Alun Michael: On 24 October the Department of Trade and Industry published the 15th annual R and D Scoreboard. This gives financial information about the top 1,000 global companies by R and D investment and the top 750 UK-based companies by R and D investment.
	Despite an overall fall of 0.5 per cent. in the R and D reported by UK-based companies from 2004, the 2005 R and D Scoreboard contains encouraging signs of growth in UK R and D-intensive companies. There were 7 per cent. more ""R and D vigorous" firms (those with R and D spending of at least 4 per cent. of sales and over £l million) than in the previous year, and 32 per cent. more than in 2001. And there was a 77 per cent. increase in middle-sized, very R and D intensive companies with R and D intensity of over 10 per cent. substantial R and D of over £6.4 million and sales of over £26 million.
	Details of the Scoreboard are available from http://www.innovation.gov.uk/rd_scoreboard/